All posts tagged: disease

All Your Hantavirus Questions, Answered by an Infectious Disease Expert

All Your Hantavirus Questions, Answered by an Infectious Disease Expert

Published by skeptic

Now that more than 100 passengers aboard a hantavirus-stricken luxury cruise ship have been evacuated, with 18 Americans in biocontainment units in Nebraska and Georgia, health officials around the world are working to monitor more than two dozen individuals who left the cruise and anyone with whom they might have come in close contact. So far, all of the 11 reported hantavirus cases are among passengers or crew on the ship, the World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday. That includes three deaths resulting from the virus. Typically, hantaviruses are spread when contaminated rodent droppings and urine are stirred up in the air and breathed in. The strain identified on board the cruise ship, the MV Hondius, is known as the Andes virus, and is the only type known to transmit from person to person. While the virus can cause serious disease and carries a high fertility rate, health officials say the hantavirus outbreak is unlikely to become a global crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic. “At …

Lifelong cognitive enrichment is linked to a 38 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Lifelong cognitive enrichment is linked to a 38 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the journal Neurology suggests that engaging in mentally stimulating activities and having access to educational resources throughout life can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. The findings indicate that building a lifelong habit of cognitive enrichment tends to delay the onset of memory loss and protects brain function. This protective effect appears to persist even when physical signs of brain disease are present in old age. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and thinking skills. As the condition advances, individuals lose the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. The disease is characterized by physical changes in the brain, including the buildup of specific proteins that disrupt communication between brain cells. Scientists have increasingly focused on ways to prevent or delay the onset of these devastating symptoms. Previous studies indicate that activities like reading, doing puzzles, and having a higher income in old age are associated with better brain health. However, examining only the later years of life paints an incomplete …

Hantavirus ‘zero’ patient named as where couple caught disease revealed | World | News

Hantavirus ‘zero’ patient named as where couple caught disease revealed | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Patient zero of the hantavirus outbreak has been identified, and the location where he contracted the rat-borne disease has been revealed. A Dutch birdwatcher who visited a landfill site described as the “end of the world” has been identified as patient zero on board the MV Hondius cruise ship. Ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, boarded the MV Hondius with his wife after making a fateful visit to the rubbish tip in Argentina. Leo was the first passenger to lose his life to the virus while on board the vessel. His wife, Mirjam Schilperoord, disembarked the ship with his body but tragically died while attempting to board a flight to the Netherlands from South Africa. The couple, from Haulerwijk, a small village of 3,000 people in the Netherlands, were named in obituaries published in their local monthly village magazine, The Sun reports. Prior to boarding the MV Hondius, Leo and Mirjam had been on a five-month trip across South America. On March 27, they visited a landfill site four miles outside the city of Ushuaia. The rubbish …

Untreated sleep apnea linked to physical brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Untreated sleep apnea linked to physical brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease

Published by José Betancourt

People who have difficulty breathing during sleep may be more vulnerable to the brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. New research published in Neurobiology of Aging provides evidence that sleep-disordered breathing has a meaningful effect on key brain and spinal fluid markers of the condition across different stages of cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and identifying modifiable risk factors has become an urgent priority. Sleep-disordered breathing — an umbrella term for conditions where breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep, including obstructive sleep apnea — is now thought to be one such factor. Previous research suggested that sleep breathing problems might accelerate the build-up of a toxic protein called amyloid-beta in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. However, studies have produced inconsistent results, and few have examined how these effects differ depending on how far along the Alzheimer’s disease process an individual already is. To better understand this distinction, a team led by Mohammad Akradi of Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran analyzed data from 757 participants enrolled in the …

Unlocking lithium’s hidden effects on Alzheimer’s disease at the cellular level

Unlocking lithium’s hidden effects on Alzheimer’s disease at the cellular level

Published by José Betancourt

Lithium salts have shown promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease by preventing certain proteins in the brain from clumping together, but how they affect cells on a broader scale remains largely unexplored. A recent study published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy reveals that lithium chloride alters multiple cellular pathways beyond its primary target, changing the activity of various enzymes and structural proteins linked to dementia. These results suggest that modifying the type of lithium used in medical treatments could improve outcomes for patients experiencing memory loss and cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, characterized by two main physical features in the brain. The first is the buildup of amyloid-beta, a protein that forms sticky plaques between nerve cells. The second involves a protein called Tau, which normally helps stabilize the internal structure of brain cells. In people with dementia, Tau undergoes a chemical alteration called hyperphosphorylation. Phosphorylation is a normal chemical reaction where enzymes called kinases attach small chemical tags, known as phosphate groups, to a protein. These tags act …

Scientists unveil Alzheimer’s finger prick test to predict risk of disease

Scientists unveil Alzheimer’s finger prick test to predict risk of disease

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Scientists have unveiled an innovative at-home test designed to predict a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. The novel method combines a simple finger-prick blood test with an online cognitive assessment, both conveniently conducted from home, experts confirmed. Academics, spearheaded by researchers at the University of Exeter, highlighted the urgent demand for more “scalable tools” to identify individuals experiencing early memory and cognitive issues who may not access specialist healthcare. This home-based screening could prove crucial in pinpointing those at highest risk, allowing them to be prioritised for subsequent diagnostic tests, treatment, and essential support services. Study lead Professor Anne Corbett, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Our previous research has shown that a finger-prick blood test can effectively be taken at home and posted to labs, and that we can identify the biomarkers …

Prebiotic chewing gum could be helpful for gum disease

Prebiotic chewing gum could be helpful for gum disease

Published by skeptic

A clinical trial compared the effects of two kinds of chewing gum PeopleImages/Shutterstoc​k People with gum disease could soon benefit from chewing gum containing nitrate, a compound that reduces the growth of inflammatory bacteria. Gum disease, known as gingivitis in its milder form, occurs when a thin film of bacteria, known as plaque, accumulates on teeth, causing inflammation and bleeding in the gums. Brushing your teeth twice a day, cleaning between them with floss or interdental brushes and using antibacterial mouthwash can help to prevent or treat the condition, but this isn’t always easy to do consistently, says Shawn Green at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in West Carson, California. Left untreated, the condition can progress to a more severe form, known as periodontitis, which can lead to mouth abscesses and tooth loss. Prior studies suggest that eating nitrate-rich foods, such as leafy greens and beetroot, reduces gum inflammation by enhancing the growth of anti-inflammatory bacteria – but not everyone has access to, or enjoys eating, such foods, says Green. To test an alternative way to …

The mouth-brain link: how healthy gums could help protect against Alzheimer’s disease

The mouth-brain link: how healthy gums could help protect against Alzheimer’s disease

Published by Jenni Sidey

We all know we should clean our teeth daily, but good oral hygiene can do more for you than give you a healthy smile. According to experts, it could improve your brain health and reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Poor dental care can lead to gum disease (gingivitis) when bacteria builds up around the teeth and gums, which can result in more severe and irreversible gum disease, known as periodontitis. These bacteria don’t always stay put—they can enter the bloodstream and trigger chronic inflammation, which is linked to brain aging and conditions like Alzheimer’s. “Multiple large studies and scientific reviews now show a consistent link between gum disease and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” says dentist and oral health expert Dr Kami Hoss, author of If Your Mouth Could Talk. Article continues below You may like “A 2025 umbrella of reviews—covering 52 studies spanning two decades—suggests that people with gum disease are significantly more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those with healthy gums.” Hoss, who is also …

Lyme disease symptoms to watch for as ER visits over tick bites skyrocket

Lyme disease symptoms to watch for as ER visits over tick bites skyrocket

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Spring’s warmer weather lures people outdoors – and into possible contact with ticks that spread Lyme disease. Already, the 2026 tick season is booming. On April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that emergency room visits due to tick bites are at their highest level since 2017. That may portend an especially severe season for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. State health departments reported more than 89,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2023, the last year for which data is available. But public health experts believe that close to 500,000 people in the U.S. get Lyme disease every year. As an infectious disease doctor with experience treating some of this infection’s long-term outcomes, I know that Lyme disease can be tricky because people often don’t notice tick bites and may overlook early symptoms of an infection. But …

Raise tax on alcohol and junk food to cut deaths from liver disease, experts say | Health

Raise tax on alcohol and junk food to cut deaths from liver disease, experts say | Health

Published by Sam Flores

Governments in Europe should impose much higher taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food to tackle the continent’s 284,000 deaths a year from liver disease, experts say. Taxes on those products should rise sharply enough for the money raised to cover the huge costs they place on health services, the criminal justice system and social services. The call for tough action on common causes of serious liver disease comes from a commission of experts from the European Association for the Study of the Liver and the Lancet medical journal. They are urging governments in Europe to ensure all alcoholic products carry health warnings and stop under-18s being targeted with online advertisements for alcoholic drinks and junk food. Bold steps are needed to combat “an escalating and unsustainable burden of liver disease”, the commission says in a report published on Wednesday in the Lancet. The experts call on the EU and World Health Organization to encourage national governments in Europe to implement their recommendations. They say governments should learn lessons from the successful fight against smoking over …